The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

A Hitler Youth who dared to speak out against the horrible crimes against humanity that the Nazi’s were committing. He knew Hitler had an underlying plan, not peace, but power. Helmuth is the boy in The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. He is reminiscing all of his memories from his childhood through to his expiration date. He remembers when Hitler became Furhrer and when everything took a turn for the worst. Helmuth is a boy who spoke out for what he believed in. He took a risk. He broke the law just to get a word of truth out. He was accused of listening to a foreign radio station and distributing the news among the people of Germany. He was said to be supporting the enemy. The Gestapo interrogated him, which means torture. People will say anything to keep from hurting anymore, but not him. He was sentenced to death. None of this mattered to Helmuth. He wanted everyone to know the truth and didn’t care about the consequences or if it was “verboten” to go against the government. We can all learn a lesson from Helmuth because he spoke out about what he believed in. He told right from wrong and took action. This is a true story. Helmuth Hubener was a real boy who died for what he believed in. This book really makes you determine your priorities. It encourages you to speak out for the truth because no matter what, it will leave an impression on someone. Helmuth took pride in his country and wanted to do what he knew was right. None of his actions were regretted, even in the moment of his death. The Boy Who Dared is an awe-inspiring story and keeps your attention. It is a short read, but only because your eyes are glued to the pages and you can’t put it down. Even when death is just around the corner, Helmuth fights for his rights and leaves the people of his German town changed. Throughout the book, Helmuth had passages of his memories while he is sitting in his cell awaiting his death. There are excerpts of his time spent at the concentration camps. You really begin to understand the horror of those camps and empathize with Helmuth. The details keep you in a hypnotic state of mind. After reading this book, you will never look at history the same way again.

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